Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine is supporting World Rabies Day with its first “Zombie Run for Life” on Saturday, Oct. 3. All proceeds will go to the college’s Eliminate Rabies Program to provide rabies vaccinations in Africa. Rabies is the deadliest zoonotic disease on the planet, according to the university. Every year more than 59,000 people die from rabies. The Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health at the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine is working to eliminate canine rabies worldwide. The WSU Rabies Vaccination Program team vaccinates about 300 dogs each day in east Africa, the university noted. They visit 180 villages every year in seven districts adjacent to the Serengeti National Park. Because of the program, the vaccination zone — a cordon sanitaire — is rabies free, according to the university. The university’s goal is to use the rabies-free vaccination zone as a model in other parts of Africa and Asia.
